1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a holster assembly for handguns of the type which can be used at any desired location adjacent either armpit or on either leg.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Peace officers and other who carry handguns are faced with a dilemma in that the available holsters are designed for use either inside or outside the wearer's trousers, or for either but not both right or left hand wear as shoulder holsters. It is necessary that the wearer must buy a variety of holsters to fit different conditions such as when the wearer is on duty, off duty, or is working undercover.
The wearer is therefore forced to purchase a separate holster to be worn on the shoulder under the arm and additional holsters if the wearer desires to change from a right hand to a left hand draw.
There have been a variety of holsters provided in the prior art some of which have been presented as being universal but none of them provides the versatility of my holster.
The U.S. Pat. to Murray, No. 2,819,830, discloses a holster which is illustrated in a variety of locations on a wearer including on the belt outside the trousers, attached to a band around the leg of the wearer, and under the armpit of the wearer for a cross draw. The holster is not adapted to be worn inside a coat or jacket or inside a trouser leg or to be used by both right and left handed wearers.
The U.S. Pat. to Heim, No. 2,951,622, illustrates a holster which can be used for both right and left hand use and includes an embodiment for use under the arm adjacent the shoulder of the wearer. This holster, however, is limited as to the locations where it can be worn, and cannot be worn inside a trouser leg.
The U.S. Pat. to Stella, No. 3,003,670, illustrates a right and left hand holster which can only be worn on the belt of the wearer outside the trousers, and is not suitable for use as a shoulder holster nor for carrying a weapon inside a trouser leg.
The U.S. Pat. to Dickey, No. 3,227,336, illustrates a handgun holster which includes a clip to enable it to snap over a belt and be worn inside a clip to enable it to snap over a belt and be worn inside the trousers of the wearer. This holster is not satisfactory for wear on the lower leg inside the trousers of the wearer since it would not be securely retained nor would it be useful as a shoulder holster.
The U.S. Pat. to D.S. Rolston et al., No. 3,252,638, illustrates a reversible left and right hand holster which is adapted to be worn outside the trousers of the wearer secured to his belt but is not adapted to be worn on a lower leg inside the trousers or on the shoulder of the wearer.
The U.S. Pat. to Devlin, No. 4,022,361, shows a holster case 12, employing Velcro at 23 around the lower portion of the holster case 12 and a sling 14 having an elongate strap 16 extending upwardly beyond the upper edge of the case 12 with a transverse holster attaching strip 18 for engagement with the Velcro at 23. The upper end of the sling 16 has a fastener tab 30 for securing to the belt of the user which has Velcro at 55 for this purpose. Alternative modes of attachment of the holster to the belt are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The structure of Devlin is not suited for use with a shoulder harness nor for attachment to the lower leg of the user inside a trouser leg.
The U.S. Pat. to Clark, No. 1,876,613, shows a holster which has a portion engageable with a belt B and a loop which engages the belt B. Internally disposed spring clips are provided to retain the holster along the forward edge but permit drawing the gun through the front. There is no structure disclosed relating to a shoulder harness nor for attachment to the lower leg of the user inside a trouser leg.
The U.S. Pat. to Townsend, No. 837,156, shows a belt carried holster which has no teaching of a shoulder holster nor of a lower leg carried holster.
The U.S. Pat. to Spann, No. 2,609,979, shows a pistol holster which requires buttons from the wearer's trousers for engagement in slits in flaps extending from the holster which is retained at the uppermost portion by a suspender strap 13, which engages in a slot in the holster. The Spann structure does not show a holster nor a holster carried or capable of being carried on a lower leg of the user.
The U.S. Pat. to Bianchi et al., No. 4,084,734, shows a combined shoulder and belt holster, in which the holster 10 has belt loop slots 24 and 25 on one side and belt loop slots 64 and 65 on the other side for mounting either side on a belt 60 for right or left hand draw. The holster 10 is also adapted to be worn as a shoulder holster as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and in which a screw 40 (see FIG. 4) which biases the outer faces of the holster together, the screw 40 providing a fulcrum for the barrel when the weapon is drawn. A shoulder strap 50 extends over the shoulder of the user with its ends permanently secured by rivets or adjustable by snap or other fasteners to the rings 21 and 30 to support the holster 10 in the armpit region. The support of the holster 10 in the Bianchi et al. patent is accomplished in a very different manner than that of the present invention.
The U.S. Pat. to Theodore, No. 3,583,611, shows a belt holster which is in the form of a strap which wraps over the top of the frame of a hand gun and is secured to the trigger guard by a releasable fastening device to hold the weapon. The belt holster may also be used under the armpit by a shoulder holster as shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8 shown for right hand draw. The support of the holster in Theodore bears very little resemblance to that of the present invention.
the German Pat. No. 2,639,248 to Stammel shows a holster for firearms which can be carried on the right or the left on the belt or under the armpits. The holster comprises a holster A, a holster enclosing body B and a holster holding web c, connected by press studs, loops and slot guides. The shoulder supports are shown at 30, 31, 35, 36 and 37 but the supports for the holster as disclosed in the present application are not shown.
The publication Velcro-Attachment Manual for Sewing shows various uses for Velcro Hook and Loop Tapes, also known as thistle cloth, but not the structure as disclosed in the present application.
Summarizing briefly, none of the prior art shows a holster having an interior pocket for selective disposition for right or left hand draw with a plurality of panels of thistle cloth, a support member in engagement with snap means and with thistle cloth with the holster and straps extending therefrom for support on the lower leg or under the arm.